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Information for Transplant Recipients

Power Player – Miguel

Miguel was living a full life before his heart transplant. He had graduated dental school, started his own practice, and gotten married.

In 2012, he began to feel sick. His face started to feel numb, so he went to see his doctor for tests. However, nothing was found in these tests, and he went back to living a normal life.

His illness never got better, though. He had trouble breathing one day, so he went to the emergency room. There, he found out that he was in end-stage heart failure. He found out that he would need a heart transplant immediately. Miguel was told that he would not leave the hospital without a new heart.

This news was shocking. He was having such a healthy, happy life and now he would need a heart transplant. Miguel had treated a lot of patients and met a lot of people in his life, but never met anyone who needed a transplant.

Due to this condition, he was unable to leave the hospital until he received the transplant. He was put into an induced coma for nine days. During these nine days, he had four surgeries which included an artificial heart. Unfortunately, his body did not react well to this device. Thankfully, on June 3, 2016, Miguel received a new heart while still in a coma.

Post-transplant, the road has not been easy. Miguel had lost a lot of muscle and had to learn to walk again. He continued therapy while he got used to his new life with the anti-rejection immunosuppressive drugs.

After six months, Miguel was able to return to work part-time. He appreciates life more than ever and tries to promote organ donation whenever he can.

“I’m alive because someone else said ‘yes’ to organ donation,” he said.